The "Second" 11th Anniversary

Andrew and I have two anniversaries every year. Back when we were planning on getting married, we were still in the Air Force. I was up for a new assignment in the next few months (due to report in September of 2002), but Andrew still had just under two years at the assignment he'd been in at the time.

Well, since we were planning our "church" wedding in a beautiful and extraordinary cathedral in Chicago (Holy Name, for those of you familiar with Chicago) for December 2002, what could we do about our differing assignment lengths? If we stuck with just the wedding in Chicago, we'd probably not be assigned together anytime in the near future. It would be hit or miss. Maybe we'd get an assignment together in the future, but more than likely, we'd be on vastly differing assignment schedules for the rest of our time in the military.

So what could we do? We had a justice of the peace ceremony in June 2002. It was the two of us and a few of the guys from Andrew's office acting as witnesses. Andrew even showed up in jeans and a t-shirt, if you can believe it! I was actually a little more "dressed up" in nice pants, a nice shirt, and a blazer.

After the ceremony (actually a few days later . . . once I headed back to Tucson, where I was stationed at the time),  we were then able to do the paperwork (showing the personnel department that we were married), and from there, we were able to get on the same assignment schedule. With a copy of our marriage license, the personnel center would be able to get us to the same base, and for the same time periods.

Voila! We both got an assignment (different units) at a base just outside of Boston, where we would report to in September 2002.

In the meantime, planning for the December 2002 church wedding was still going on.

What a party it was! Lots of family and friends attended. This was the ceremony with the dress, Andrew's dress uniform (the "Mess Dress" which is the Air Force equivalent of a tuxedo), and the cake, and the nice reception afterwards . . . there were lots of smiles and wonderful memories of that frosty, wintery day in Chicago, with the twinkling lights, Christmas decorations everywhere, and magic in the air . . .

 Oh, one memory I have to talk about - when my dad was walking me down the aisle, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. It was my Aunt Lily running down an outer aisle, my cousin Sylvia tagging along behind her. Next thing I saw, Aunt Lily was snapping pictures of me with her little point and shoot camera. Later, Sylvia said she was a bit embarrassed. I told her not to be, as I was sure the memory of Aunt Lily running down the other aisle to get a pic of me would be one of my favorite memories.

And, yes, I'm going to take this opportunity right now to share a bunch of pictures. 
(All photos in this post are by Brad Baskin.)

 I've got three of my good friends from Culver Girls Academy in attendance.

Here, Andrew is hamming it up for the camera. 

 My three bridesmaids and I pose for a picture. My mom ensured that the florist would have one of my favorite flowers, Stargazer Lilies, in the bouquets, along with roses. Since it was wintery, the florist also included some cool evergreen in them, too.

 Andrew and I pose with the groomsmen. Everyone is laughing because Andrew is pinching my backside just as the photographer took the pic. 

 And, of course, I have to include a pic with my grandparents. Oma laughed and smiled so much at the wedding. She was so happy that day (both of them were). It is such a lovely memory to think back on her smiling face. 

I just have to include this picture, too. This is how Oma smiled that whole day.

 What wedding post would be complete without a picture of a wedding cake?

So that's why we have two anniversaries. Today is the "second" 11th anniversary for us. Happy Anniversary to Andrew!

And to end the post, this is our "First Dance" song, called "You are my Home," by Chayanne and Vanessa Williams. It's from the movie, "Dance with Me."

P.S. Andrew was in the hallway as I listened to the song. I asked, "Do you know what this song is?" "I don't remember the name of the song. Don't worry, though. I remember what it was from!" LOL

Happy Second 10th Anniversary

Andrew and I celebrated our "First 10th" Anniversary in June. When we were in the Air Force, we were on different assignment schedules. Since our church wedding (with the cake, the dress, the big party, etc) was being planned for December 2002, and I was getting a new assignment in August 2002 (while Andrew still had a couple more years at his assignment at the time), we had to have a Justice of the Peace ceremony in June 2002 so we could get on the same assignment schedule.

So that's why we have two anniversaries per year, the first being in June, and the second (honoring the church wedding).

And that's why today is the "Second 10th Anniversary."

I remember some distinct things about the church wedding. I remember that since we couldn't do photos in the cathedral, we did them beforehand in a special room in the hotel where we were having the reception (and the same one where we'd had a block of rooms reserved for all the guests). There were lights set up, and after a while, it got very hot in there, posing and waiting for the photographer to regroup us into specific photo opportunities.

When it was time for us to head to the church, and since it was December in Chicago, I'd had this white faux-fur cape I was wearing over my dress (plus a faux-fur muff). The bridesmaids and I were going to head over to the Cathedral by limo (Andrew and the groomsmen were being shuttled over there in one shuttle, while the rest of the guests were being shuttled separately). Well, we were waiting, and waiting . . . and WAITING for the limo to come pick us up from the lobby of the hotel. I kept looking outside to see if the limo was there . . . every so often, I'd see a white limo go around the block.

Impatient and overheated underneath my fuzzy wrap, I went outside to wait and cool off (remember, it was December in Chicago). The cold felt SO GOOD after being under the lights and in this wedding dress and wrap. My poor bridesmaids were freezing, though - but every time I told them to go inside to wait, they would say they weren't leaving me. I even offered to go back inside so they could get in there and get warmed up. Candi was very insistent, though. "If you're overheated inside, we'll stand out here with you. We're not going inside if you want to stay out here."

Dianne, Brenda, me, Candi

 By the way, while we were standing out there, pedestrians were walking up and down the sidewalk, like they do in a busy city like Chicago. Many saw me standing there in a wedding dress and offered best wishes. Kind of fun being the center of attention. 

FINALLY, after 10-15 minutes, I saw the limo park across the street. Not knowing where the wedding planner was at that moment, and knowing that earlier, she had been insistent that we get to the Cathedral by a certain time, I got really frustrated, not knowing what the plan was. "Why is the limo over there? Aren't we supposed to get going? Anyone know where Karin is? Are we supposed to get in the limo now?"

The wedding planner was momentarily AWOL, so I made a decision. "Let's get going. Follow me, ladies." And I marched across the street saying, "If there's ever a time I'm dressed to stop traffic, today's the day!" As my bridesmaids scurried to catch up with me, I heard cars honking and drivers and passengers waving and cheering at me. I even saw some friends in their cars, on that very street, heading toward the Cathedral (I think I even saw Sara and Pete). This was cool. I was stopping traffic and people were cheering for me.

And then I saw the shuttle that had just picked up Andrew and the groomsmen, ready to transport them to the Cathedral. They all stood up in the shuttle, pointing at me and cheering and making a big deal because I was literally stopping traffic. It was pretty funny.

Andrew was pinching my rear; that's why we're all laughing.

(My mom later told me that the wedding planner was really irritated that I'd done that, but hey!! She had disappeared momentarily and hadn't given me an update on the plan/schedule. And there was the limo! So I took charge! )

Anyway, once we'd gotten to the Cathedral (and waited for the ceremony before us to finish), Candi had given me a mint-chocolate cookie. I'd really needed a peppermint, but none of us had one. So Candi did the next best thing - chocolate and mint.

Finally, we got started. I remember that Dianne (one of my bridesmaids) thanked me for including her in wonderful memories. I was just glad she was there.

And I remember that as my dad and I were walking down the center aisle, I saw movement to my right, down the far right aisle. It was my Aunt Lily and cousin Sylvia. Aunt Lily had her little camera pointed right at me as she tried getting photos. A few years later, Sylvia said that she'd been embarrassed that Aunt Lily had done that. I told her not to worry, that it was one of my favorite memories of that day. I had my own paparazza (singular, feminine form of paparazzi)!!

The reception area.

Later on at the reception, I remember that a good friend of mine (Sara) had told me that if I needed to use the ladies' room, I'd better have someone go in and help me, because wearing a dress like that, it's a two man woman job!! Better yet, I'd better wait until I couldn't wait any longer. And I needed to trust her because she knew from experience. Hahaha!

Brenda, Candi, Sara, me. We were all on the equestrian jumping team together at our high school.

Oh, and the food . . . salmon and a petite filet mignon, both cooked to perfection. And sorbet in between courses, to cleanse our palates! Mmmmm! Andrew STILL talks about that salmon.

And what wedding reception would be complete without the wedding cake?

And one more very important memory: my grandparents were there to help celebrate the occasion.

 
So, after sharing some of my very favorite memories of the day, I have to say, "Happy Second 10th, Andrew!" 

Note: All photos in this post (except for the one of Brenda, Candi, Sara, and myself) were taken by professional photographer Brad Baskin.


(Click here and here for more wedding photos.)

The Second 9th

I just wanted to say "Happy Anniversary!" to Andrew today, on our second 9th anniversary. The first 9th was in June - it was the 9th anniversary of our justice of the peace ceremony.

But today is the second 9th, because it's the anniversary of the church ceremony at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, IL. This was the one with the big party, the fancy clothing, the cake . . .

So today, I'm going to share some photos from that big day; yes I like sharing photos. (And then I'll get back to work on my two papers that are due tomorrow.)

The photo with the groomsmen; Andrew's pinching my behind in this photo. That's why the guys are all laughing.

Photo: ©Brad Baskin

My fellow Culver Girls Academy alumnae are posing with me at the reception.

Photo: © Brad Baskin

 

My grandfather, Sir Rafa, and my mom.

Photo: © Brad Baskin

My grandmother, Oma, is laughing and dancing with Pedro.

Photo: © Brad Baskin

Andrew decided to do some kind of James Bond pose, I guess?

Photo: © Brad Baskin

The photo with the bridesmaids! My mom picked out the flowers. I'm glad she picked out stargazer lilies and had some "wintery" evergreen in there, too!

Photo: © Brad Baskin

The reception location.

Photo: © Brad Baskin

Cake! Gotta have a shot of the cake!

Photo: © Brad Baskin

Happy 2nd Eighth Anniversary!!

Andrew and I got married by a justice of the peace on Friday 21 Jun 2002, while we were still on active duty . . . that way we could get orders for a "join-spouse" assignment and be at the same base at the same time. Otherwise, I would've moved on to a new assignment while he remained at his for another 2-3 years. We'd have no guarantee that he'd ever be assigned at my new base any time in the future.

At our justice of the peace ceremony that hot, humid June morning in Fayetteville, NC, we had a few of the guys from Andrew's current unit come out to the courthouse to act as our witnesses. I wore "business" attire - a nice blouse, khaki pants, a black blazer, and black leather shoes. Andrew? He wore jeans and a t-shirt.

After a brief ceremony (it took only minutes), we were officially married; he and I were then off to spend the weekend in the Raleigh-Durham area. We'd window shopped at the nice outdoor shopping area, then went out for a big HUGE Italian dinner at the Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant in Durham. Afterward, we saw a movie, "Lilo and Stitch" (still one of my all-time favorite Disney movies, by the way).

The justice of the peace ceremony, by the way, made the "join-spouse" assignment (same base/same time) a reality after the appropriate personnel received the official marriage certificate. As soon as I got back to my base in Tucson - which means the very next day - the marriage certificate went its merry way to the aforementioned "appropriate personnel."

A few months later, we both got orders to move from our current assignments (mine in Tucson, his in Fayetteville) to our new ones in New England, together -same base, same time frame, but different units.

Later that year, about 3 months after we both settled into the Boston area for our new assignments, we did the "official" church wedding, on Saturday 14 Dec 2002 at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. This time we had the guests, the cake, the party . . .

Speaking of cake:

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

My mom and I had been planning the December shin-dig since February 2002, well before the aforementioned justice of the peace ceremony in June.

This time, though I was in the big, fancy, fru-fru dress and veil, and Andrew was finally dressed appropriately in his Mess Dress (the Air Force's formal, fancy tux-like uniform).

Anyway, when the following June 21st approached (the justice of the peace anniversary), I'd made a comment about celebrating our 1st Anniversary (the justice of the peace one). Andrew had already decided we'd just celebrate the church wedding in December. I said no, we'd celebrate both.

The mom of one of our neighbors said, "You'll celebrate both. You never make a woman choose between two anniversaries!"  Her daughter and son-in-law (our neighbors) had done the same thing as we did, and for similar reasons - a quiet, very low-key justice of the peace ceremony first (with just a couple witnesses), and then a few months later the big church wedding with the dress, the Mess Dress, the guests, the church, the cake, etc.

Anyway, here are a few of our many church wedding photos:

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

Me and my 3 awesome bridesmaids! L to R: Dianne, Brenda, me, obviously, and Candi

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

Andrew and his Best Man and the Groomsmen! L to R: Adam (the Best Man), P.J., Andrew, David, Keith

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

During the ceremony, inside the Cathedral:

Photo ©2002 - Brad Baskin

So, there you have it. That's how, with the justice of the peace ceremony and the church wedding, Andrew and I have two anniversaries per year.

And since today's the church anniversary, it's the "2nd Eighth" Anniversary  (the "1st Eighth" Anniversary obviously having been in June).

Most importantly, here is where I'd like to say, "Happy '2nd Eighth' Anniversary, Andrew! Love and kisses!"

Here's a video that I think fits us (make sure your volume's on):


The song is by Ingrid Michaelson, and is called "The Way I Am." (The song/slideshow is off of YouTube.)



And here's the song Andrew and I used for our first dance at our wedding reception:

It's called "You Are My Home," sung by Vanessa Williams and Chayanne.

(This is a fitting video because we took ballroom dancing lessons for nearly 4 years while stationed in the Boston area. This song is from a ballroom dancing movie called "Dance with Me.")

Memory Lane Friday - A Birthday

This week's Memory Lane Friday topic is "A Birthday."

My birthday is mid-November . . . November 12th to be exact. Ahh, autumn - my absolute favorite season. I always had the idea that because I was born in the autumn, I love autumn the best. 

Anyway, since my birthday falls in a chilly month, I never had pool parties or something similar to celebrate my birthday. It was usually something indoors.

I remember one year, however, that I had my birthday at Living History Farms in Urbandale, IA. It must've been for one of my early "teen" birthdays (13 or 14?). I remember having classmates from school in attendance, as well as a friend who went to a different school, but was on the local United States Pony Club team with me.

On this birthday, I vaguely remember going on a hay ride with all my friends, and maybe having a tour of the Living History Farms, and how farm life in the Midwest was, way back in the day. Then I remember being in some building with a fire crackling, and having cake around a long wooden table.

Other than that, I don't have many memories of spectacular birthdays when I was younger. Although, when I was about 5 or 6, I do remember being sick and having to stay home from school on my birthday.

The good thing is that I'd gotten a present from my mom early in the day - Legos - and I was having fun figuring out how to make things as I sat in the den, wishing I'd felt better, and watching TV (Sesame Street, I think).

I also remember that it was a gray, November day, and the Midwestern skies looked like gunmetal - dark, ominous.

At some point, when I looked outside, it was snowing! I was so excited. Now, I love autumn - the scents: apples, cinnamon, crisp air, pumpkin pie -  and I love the cool, crisp weather, the changing leaves.

The first snowfall, though, always seems like magic.

So,anyway . . . I do remember really fun memories of various birthdays as an adult.

When I turned 28, I was living in the Chicagoland area. My mom happened to be in the area, and my brothers were already in the area, because they were going to college in Chicago.

So we all got together with some friends at one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago - Rosebud on Rush (it's just down the street from Holy Name Cathedral where Andrew and I got married a few years later). I think my birthday was in the middle of the week, so we met midday on the Saturday either just before or just after my actual birthday. We had a great time and had some great food. And to top it all off, I think I may have even gone to a Chicago Blackhawks game on my actual birthday, probably with my brother Joe and his friend Travis.

Here we are at Rosebud on Rush. I'm the third one from the left.

My mom took this photo.

And the next year when I turned 29, I was in Air Force Officer Training School (OTS) in Maxwell, AL. Well, it was getting close to the end of our 12.5 week training (we graduated exactly one week after my birthday, by the way). Anyway, towards the end of training, we had what's called a Dining Out - a formal dinner, where we were in our most formal uniforms, the Mess Dress, which is the equivalent of a tuxedo. Our Dining Out was just 3 days after my birthday, and during our last week of training, so while it wasn't a "birthday" party, there was a very festive vibe in the air. 

This is me in my Mess Dress just 3 days after my 29th birthday.

Then in 2002, when I turned 32, Andrew and I were recently stationed in the greater Boston area and were continuing to plan our church wedding for that December in Chicago (read: I was saying, "here's what I want," my mom was doing her best to execute my plan in Chicago because I couldn't get leave to plan it in person, and Andrew was just going along with it). 

Now I don't remember what Andrew and I did to actually celebrate my birthday. But my favorite memory from this particular birthday was a call from my mom. 

She'd said, "Guess what I'm doing right now on your birthday?" 

Of course, I had no idea, but I knew it must've been something good, so I smiled really big and I asked her, "Um, I dunno. What are you doing on my birthday?"

"I'm in Chicago and I'm tasting wedding cakes, trying to decide which one you'll like the best." 

Well, she certainly picked the right one, because it was absolutely delish. It was white cake and had a lemon butter cream filling plus a layer of raspberry glaze in the middle. SO yummy. Of course, she picked well, because she's my mom and she knows my taste. Besides, it WAS my birthday, so I must've been sending her vibes on what I'd like best.

Here it is, topped with stargazer lilies (one of my favorite flowers, also found in my bouquet):

This photo only: © 2002 Brad Baskin

So I have no special memories of one birthday in particular, but lots of small memories from a bunch of birthdays.

Please click on the button below to check out the rest of this week's Memory Lane Friday posts:

Come back next week when the topic is July 4th!